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‘Soda Pop’ Choreographer Lee Jung Says She’s Ready to Move From Saja Boys to BTS After Success of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
KPop Demon Hunters has shattered records once again. After becoming the most-watched film in Netflix history, standout track “Golden” went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart (for three weeks so far). As a film centered around K-pop, this is more than just a box-office milestone; it’s a landmark in the history of the genre itself.
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So why has this film resonated so strongly? This can be understood in the same context as K-pop’s global popularity. Throughout its evolution, K-pop has consistently maintained a balance between music, performance and choreography. Performance videos have become almost mandatory alongside K-pop music videos, and every comeback promotion is accompanied by a dance challenge. K-pop is never just the music — it is the music with performance. In the same way, K-Pop Demon Hunters immersed audiences in the visual thrill of choreography fused with music, proving once again the unique power of K-pop performance.
Early in the film, the entrance of HUNTR/X with their track “How It’s Done” shows them skydiving from a plane — an unreal premise matched with daring choreography that instantly pulls viewers into these new characters. Meanwhile, Saja Boys’ “Soda Pop” became a hidden driving force behind the film’s popularity, with its choreography gaining momentum as K-pop idols successively joined the challenge.
Billboard Korea sat down with Lee Jung — choreographer and dancer from THE BLACK LABEL — who created the moves for both “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop.” Radiating conviction with every word, she said: “The more I dance, the more certain I feel. I really love the phrase ‘Choreography by me’ — it makes me feel alive.” Through conversation with Lee, we gained insight into her global view as a choreographer born in Korea and witnessed the remarkable dedication of creators that sheds light on why K-pop is cherished worldwide.
You mentioned that you were deeply impressed from the very first meeting with the production team.
So much so that the feeling lingered with me for days. At that first meeting, everyone passionately explained why they wanted to make this film, why they needed me, and what they hoped to convey. The energy in their eyes was undeniable. Maybe it’s an optimistic way to think, but I believe when creators speak about their work with that kind of spark, the result can’t help but be great. The moment I heard them, I thought, “I have to do this, and it’s definitely going to succeed.”
Did that conviction grow as the project went on?
Absolutely. After several meetings, I received the music — and it was incredible. That only made my certainty stronger. To work with visionaries was already a blessing, but to have such quality music as the foundation for my choreography… every moment felt like happiness, and it reaffirmed my belief: When someone has that kind of conviction in their dreams, they can’t help but succeed.
The animation format seems to have unlocked even greater imagination in “How It’s Done.”
I remember the meeting vividly. The team told me, with bright eyes, “Imagine the members skydiving from a plane and landing in the concert venue.” In that moment, I felt like I wanted to become someone without limits. The most important part of any stage is how you appear, and with HUNTR/X literally leaping from the sky, the entire scene was already complete in my mind. That’s why the choreography came out more explosive and daring than usual. It wasn’t just adding intensity — it was channeling my full energy and imagination into movements that felt like flying. Even now, recalling it gives me goosebumps.
What was the biggest lesson you took away from a project with so many creators involved?
The countless hours of motion capture across the U.S., the repeatedly refined choreography and music, the character design and storyline — every piece contained someone’s hard work. So many people truly staked everything on this project. I was just one small part, and it was only possible because everyone’s energy came together. Watching that process made me want to someday be the kind of person who can pass along that same energy to others.
You once said: “Street Woman Fighter was the 20-year-old Lee Jung, LISA’s ‘Money’ was the 25-year-old Lee Jung.” By that measure, what does KPop Demon Hunters represent for you?
It’s the three-year accumulation of who I am now. Even though the clip is less than a minute long, it contains all my training, experiences and growth compressed into it. For me, it’s more than just choreography — it’s a record of pride and time itself. And one more thing: Animation is a medium that becomes a lasting memory for someone’s childhood. The fact that K-pop was chosen as its subject shows just how far its influence has grown.
On Mnet’s World of Street Woman Fighter, your choreography for Saweetie’s mission especially stood out when you emphasized the “K-pop sensibility.” In your view, what defines K-pop’s distinctive style?
When the global teams watching our choreography during the mission said, “This really feels like K-pop,” that’s when it hit me: K-pop has truly become a genre of its own. Of course, it’s not easy to logically define the characteristics of a genre — but that’s the nature of art. If someone can recognize it at a glance and say, “That feels like K-pop,” I believe that’s enough. If I may carefully add one more thought, I think what creates that unique sensibility is our “ethnicity.” The linguistic and cultural traits unique to Koreans, along with our rapid pace of development, have all come together to shape K-pop into a genre that resonates globally. In that sense, I feel an immense sense of pride as a Korean.
In K-pop, where visual performance is crucial, what makes for good choreography?
For me, the standard is simple: Good choreography is just really good choreography. It might sound vague, but it’s also the hardest standard to meet. Each year, we must satisfy countless viewers — and if the result elevates the song itself, that’s enough. A good routine must connect seamlessly to the song’s message, communicate intuitively, and still bring something fresh. Striking that balance is difficult, but it’s the choreographer’s task every season.
What do you think makes your choreography distinctive?
I honestly think my work is… tasty. [Laughs] It’s not a lofty phrase, but it captures what I strive for. I always push myself to the point where I feel, “I couldn’t possibly make this better.” When an artist performs my routine and it reaches that undeniable peak, that’s my goal.
Among your past works, which project remains most memorable?
LISA ’s “Money.” It kept the essence of K-pop choreography while breaking molds and trying something new. When I have conviction, choreography comes quickly — and this one I finished in a single day. For me, it reached that level of “no one could do it better.” Thankfully, many agreed, and it earned me the best choreographer award at the 2021 MAMA. Since it was my first win, it remains especially meaningful. And of course, LISA performed it brilliantly.
You’ve said collaborating with various K-pop artists inspires you as a dancer.
Yes. These are people whose jobs involve dance, yet they approach it with such sincerity and passion — sometimes even more than I do. I’ve always seen myself as someone who never slacks, but their energy sometimes astonishes me. In those moments, I realize, “Compromise will never be part of my life.” That drives me to keep pushing forward.
When working with artists with such strong identities, how do you communicate?
I always start by asking what message the song wants to convey. Then I ask the artist how they want to express it. If direct conversation isn’t possible, I check through their company. “How do you want to present this track?” That’s the starting point. I build my interpretation on top of that. Ultimately, the key is finding the shared common ground between the artist, the songwriter, and myself. Once we find it, the choreography comes alive on its own.
Your scope of activity keeps expanding. How would you define yourself now?
I don’t want to be confined by definitions. I’d rather not limit myself to a single word. My biggest question now is: How far can I go with dance? That keeps me excited about my future. I believe I can go beyond even what I imagine.
From your position within K-pop, why do you think the world loves it so much?
One word: conviction. Every artist I’ve worked with had immense self-belief. They have clear visions, never settle, and keep reaching for more. When such people gather, fans can feel that conviction and energy too. That’s why K-pop keeps growing — and why Korean culture has no reason to stop evolving.
You lived in the U.S. during middle school. How has K-pop’s presence changed since then?
It’s incomparable. Back then, it was the time of “Gangnam Style” — a massive global craze. Yet I still had to explain to people who the artist was, where they were from and what K-pop meant. Now? Not at all. When you say “K-pop” or “Korea,” no explanation is needed. “K” itself has become a brand.
Which global pop artist would you most like to collaborate with on choreography?
BTS. I believe BTS have transcended being just a K-pop group to become something even greater. Collaborating with international artists would of course be meaningful, but when we talk about global music, there’s really no reason to exclude K-pop from the conversation. BTS are the ones who have preserved the identity of K-pop while simultaneously expanding its presence on the global stage. Since I also want to be a creator who proves that K-pop is global, I especially hope to create a stage with them one day.
And what’s next for you?
I’ll always go beyond what anyone imagines of me. [Laughs]
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Entertainment
Drake’s ‘What Did I Miss?’ Video Copied Pic by Controversial Balenciaga Ad Photographer: Lawsuit
A new lawsuit claims Drake’s ”What Did I Miss?” music video ripped off the work of an Italian photographer — and, in a strange twist, that the rapper was intentionally trying to connect his feud with Kendrick Lamar to a controversial Balenciaga campaign.
The copyright infringement complaint, filed against Drake (Aubrey Graham) on Wednesday (Nov. 12) in federal court, alleges a key sequence in the “What Did I Miss?” video lifts from a photograph in Gabriele Galimberti’s 2020 book The Ameriguns. Both Galimberti’s photo and the scene in question show men standing outside houses, surrounded by firearms laid out in parallel around swimming pools.
Galimberti is a photographer with National Geographic, though he is perhaps best known for shooting a notorious 2022 Balenciaga campaign that portrayed children with sexually explicit objects. The campaign drew a huge backlash, with consumers accusing the fashion house and Galimberti of glorifying pedophilia.
Wednesday’s lawsuit draws a direct line between the Balenciaga controversy and “What Did I Miss?,” in which Drake addressed the aftermath of his rap battle with Lamar. That feud ended with Lamar calling Drake a “certified pedophile” on the chart-topping diss track “Not Like Us,” leading Drake to sue Universal Music Group (UMG) for defamation.
“Plaintiff was ultimately publicly vindicated in a defamation lawsuit abroad related to the false accusations arising from the Balenciaga advertisement,” writes Galimberti’s attorney. “Given Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics…calling defendant Graham a pedophile and defendant Graham’s now dismissed defamation lawsuit, on information and belief, defendant Graham sought to imply that he, like plaintiff, would be publicly exonerated.”
Drake’s defamation lawsuit was dismissed last month, with a federal judge ruling that lyrics in rap battles are hyperbole and not meant to imply facts. Drake is now appealing to revive the case against UMG, which owns both Lamar’s label Interscope Records and his label, Republic Records.
Republic and UMG are both defendants in Galimberti’s lawsuit as well, along with Drake and his company OVO Sounds. Galimberti is seeking financial damages for what he describes as “both an egregious violation of federal law and an affront to plaintiff, his livelihood, his legacy and to photographers everywhere.”
“Plaintiff is a serious professional, addressing serious themes,” reads the complaint. “His work hangs in galleries, museums, graces serious print literature, and his career depends upon the respect and admiration of dealers, collectors and critics of contemporary and documentary art. By the forced and unauthorized association of his work with the infringing video, the integrity of his work and his reputation as a photographer has been damaged.”
Reps for Drake and UMG did not immediately return requests for comment on the lawsuit.
“What Did I Miss?” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July, and hit No. 1 on both Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic Airplay, extending multiple Billboard chart records for the rapper.
Entertainment
Ultra Music Festival 2026 Will Feature a B2B From Alesso & Martin Garrix: See Phase 2 Lineup
Ultra Music Festival today (Nov. 12) added more than 70 news acts for the 2025 edition with the announcement of its phase two lineup.
Joining the bill are Martin Garrix and Alesso, who will play b2b in a headlining slot, the first ever headlining performance from Argy b2b Mind Against and Ray Volpe b2b Sullivan King. DJ Snake will perform the U.S. debut of his Outlaw alias in a b2b with TYRM and Joris Voorn and Kololova will also perform b2b for the first time in the States.
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Additionally, Ultra will host stage takeovers from legendary Ibiza club Amnesia, The Martinez Brothers’ Cuttin’ Headz, Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance, Steve Aoki’s 30 years of Dim Mak, Coone’s Dirty Workz, Sara Landry’s Hekate and Germany’s Live From Earth collective.
These additions expands the previously announced phase one lineup that includes Afrojack, Amelie Lens b2b Sara Landry, Armin van Buuren, DJ Snake, Eric Prydz, Illenium, John Summit, Hardwell, Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, Sebastian Ingrosso b2b Steve Angello, Miss Monique, Excision, ISOxo, Boys Noize, OF the Trees, Madeon and many more. See the complete lineup below.
Ultra Music Festival 2026 happens March 27-29 at its longtime home at Miami’s Bayfront Park.
The festival annually closed out Miami Music Week a week-long run of parties, showcases, meetings, mixers and more that draws many in the global electronic music industry to the city. Winter Music Conference returned to Miami Music Week in 2025 after a hiatus, with organizers announcing earlier this week that it will be back in 2026 and happen in a new location at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel in Downtown Miami from March 24–26.
2026 will mark the 36th year of the conference. The next edition is set to feature a programming track tailored for dance industry professionals and a second track for DJs, producers and content creators.
Entertainment
As AI Artists Breaking Rust & Cain Walker Rule a Country Chart, Nashville Execs Weigh in: ‘It’s Incredibly Detrimental’
As artificial intelligence moves further into the music space, how concerned should the country community, which has built its reputation on authenticity and a trusted connection between artists and fans, be?
One-third of the top 10 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart dated Nov. 15 is composed of AI-assisted artists, including “Walk My Walk,” attributed to Breaking Rust, which spends its second week at No. 1; Cain Walker’s “Don’t Tread on Me” which stands at No. 3; and Walker’s “Ain’t My Problem,” which debuted at No. 9. (Walker’s “Freedom” also debuted on the 15-position chart at No. 11).
“Walk My Walk,” which is spending its second week at No. 1, has a gospel, stomping feel, while Walker’s tunes are more dark country rock. All three share similar “stand my ground, don’t mess with me”-type lyrics with boisterous vocals.
The Distrokid-distributed songs are selling relatively small numbers: Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk” sold more than 2,000 copies in the U.S. for the tracking week ending Nov. 6, according to Luminate, while Walker’s “Don’t Tread on Me” sold more than 1,000 copies, and his “Ain’t My Problem” sold slightly under 1,000. By comparison, the top-selling song on Billboard‘s all-genre Digital Song Sales chart for the week ending Nov. 6, Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia,” sold 29,000 copies. Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor is listed as the songwriter for Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk.” Billboard has reached out to him, but has not heard back.
“It’s a notable wake-up call but not yet an existential threat — more like a symptom of broader disruptions in how music is created, distributed and consumed,” says FEMco founder Leslie Fram. “In country, where authenticity and storytelling are core, this could erode trust if fans feel manipulated, but it’s mostly confined to sales charts so far, not airplay or streaming staples.”
Yet. But AI has already spread to another genre’s airplay chart: Xania Monet, who signed to Hallwood Media after bidding offers reached $3 million, became the first known AI artist to earn enough radio airplay to rank on a Billboard radio chart when she debuted at No. 30 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart dated Nov. 11. Several other AI or AI-assisted acts have also debuted on Billboard charts in recent weeks, including Childpets Galore on Christian Digital Song Sales, Unbound Music and Emily Blue on Rock Digital Song Sales, and contemporary Christian artist Juno Skye on the Emerging Artists chart.
Terrestrial country radio stations have not yet added Breaking Rust or Cain Walker to their rotations, and country radio consultant Joel Raab says that’s wise. “Listeners react negatively to the idea of AI voices on their stations,” Raab says, citing research done on the question of AI use in general. “Listeners don’t like the idea of AI voices, so by association, I don’t think they’d like the music.”
Furthermore, other than playing the songs for curiosity value, “leaning on that type of programming consistently seems very shortsighted considering radio makes money off of touring advertising and other artist-driven revenue,” says F2 Entertainment Group president/CEO Fletcher Foster, who manages MORIAH and other artists.
Fram agrees. “[Country] stations prioritize ‘real’ voices tied to tours and endorsements, so Breaking Rust might need active promo (e.g., fake ‘artist’ interviews or tie-ins) to cross over,” she says. ”It’s going to be a real conversation for gatekeepers. If [the song] hooks listeners, they may want to play it — radio’s job is curation, not purity tests.”
For real artists and their managers, though, the AI disruption could potentially make a difficult job even harder. “The artist development process has never been easy. Over the past few years, especially since COVID and the massive switch to DSPs, it has never been more challenging,” Fletcher says. “It’s incredibly detrimental to have AI-generated songs taking up precious spots on the chart because not only do they clog up the chart, but they take positions away from a well-rounded artist that can have a career generating revenue and publishing, touring, brand partnerships, etc.”
Some labels are embracing AI. Last month, Universal Music Group (UMG) announced a deal with Udio that settled UMG’s involvement in a lawsuit it had filed last year against the AI music startup, along with Sony and Warner — and paved the way for a version of Udio that would create a new commercial consumption and streaming experience that would pay participating UMG artists for lending their work to Udio’s AI model.
Cain Walker is already spreading beyond music. His website is selling merchandise, including “Don’t Tread On Me” t-shirt.
Country artist Martina McBride is among the artists who have been vocal about protecting artists and their voices. Earlier this year, she testified in support of the NO FAKES Act, bipartisan legislation that gives individuals the right to protect their voices and likenesses from being replicated by AI without their consent, both in music and in a broader context. “AI technology is amazing and can be used for so many wonderful purposes. But like all great technologies, it can also be abused,” she wrote in a guest column for Billboard published in May.
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Raab and Fram are betting on the human race over deep fakes, even though there may be challenging times looming. “Looking ahead, the realness of human music with heart and human soul will win every time,” Raab predicts.
“Casual streamers might shrug — ‘If it sounds good, who cares?’, but dedicated fans — especially in genres like country — crave the human ‘mistakes’ that add soul, per a study on what makes tracks memorable,” Fram says. “Bottom line: Fans will stream AI songs short-term, but loyalty? That’s earned through real stories, not algorithms…Over time, ‘fake’ acts risk fizzling like one-hit wonders; true superfans bet on humans who evolve with them. AI might open doors, but only flesh-and-blood keeps ’em coming back for encores.”
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